


Boxing

by NovelistServant



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Boxing & Fisticuffs, Family Bonding, Fluff and Angst, Sports, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23436631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovelistServant/pseuds/NovelistServant
Summary: When Mabel stumbled across pictures of her grunkles boxing back in the day, she's inspired and trains to join the team. For artsymeeshee.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 61





	Boxing

It all started back when the Pines family first arrived back at the Mystery Shack. Mabel was up in the storage room (It was much fuller than wise, but the attic was used as a bedroom at the moment.) and had dragged Dipper along with her to help find some old photographs. With only two weeks to work on her special birthday present for her grunkles, she needed all the help she could get in making them the perfect gift: a new scrapbook full of old photos of Glass Shard Beach and pictures Mabel had saved on her phone and was going to print of the old sailors out at sea.

Mabel had her hands on a box full of baby photos that she was totally going to use as blackmail. She squealed and then covered her mouth quickly so they wouldn't get caught when she found a photo of two twin boys sitting in little sailor-suits on their parents' bed. The one with six-fingers on his tiny fists didn't look happy, but his brother was laughing and was proud of his new suit. Mabel tucked it into her folder to use for the scrapbook and checked another box. She opened it and was surprised to find news articles for boxing events and pictures of her uncles training.

"Wow, Dipper, look." Mabel said quietly and Dipper sat with her by the box.

"Whoa, Stan was really good." The boy commented as he picked up photographs of a bruised-looking, war-beaten, teenage-version of Stan had a fist up in the air in victory and a trophy in his grasp. Ford was by his side, enjoying stealing Stan's gimmick of wrapping an arm around his neck and pointing at him as he beamed with pride. "Check out all these first places."

"Wonder where all his trophies…" But then Mabel stopped. There were boxes in this room labeled "trophies", but all of those were Ford's from science fairs and spelling bees, because this had originally been his house. Since Stan was kicked out and didn't exactly have time or space for memorabilia, the trophies were long-gone, probably tossed out by Dipper and Mabel's great-grandfather. Mabel's blood boiled and her teeth clenched in a very un-Mabel way. "If I ever see Blendin again, I'm using his time-machine to go back in time and punch that jerk in the face." She growled.

"Yeah," Dipper sighed and held out some good pictures of when both of the twins were boxing in elementary school. "But hey, these will look great in the new scrapbook." He pointed out, trying to make his sister forget Filbrick.

It worked; Mabel smiled and took some of the pictures. "These are great, thanks!" And she added them to the folder. "They look so cute! And they look like they might be having fun."

Dipper shrugged; to this day Stan still enjoys watching a match and he still gave awesome left and right-hooks. "So, do you need more pictures, or…?"

"I think… I dunno, I was hoping to find one of them with Grandpa or Ma Pines. Do you think they'd want that?"

Even after the scrapbook had been made and delivered, Mabel still thought back to Stan and Ford's old boxing days. It was interesting and cool to her, so one afternoon she asked Stan to teach her some moves. She had never seen that old man look so happy. (Except when he announced that he was going to be sailing around the world with Ford.) He took her out to the backyard and taught her how to take a proper stance and how to give good hooks and how to dodge properly. Mabel found she liked the feeling of the gloves and the poses and moves came relatively quickly to her. By the time the sun was setting Stan was laughing and calling her a natural.

About a week or so later, Stan left his newspaper on the table to help put out a small fire Ford had started due to an experiment gone bad, and Mabel saw an ad for boxing tryouts. There was a team right outside of Gravity Falls and the whole thing was over by the end of the summer, so Mabel could join if she wanted. When Stan came back and finished his newspaper, he put it in the newspaper bin (used to start campfires or for arts-n'-crafts) and Mabel swiped the article for the date, time, and location.

Dipper woke up the next morning and found Mabel's bed, as usual, empty. But then as Dipper was scrubbing his eyes he heard something weird outside. He looked out the window and stared to find Mabel in pink work-out shorts, a white t-shirt, and her hair up with a scrunchie as she punched a tree with boxing gloves. Dipper slipped on some shoes and his hat and vest and hurried outside. "Mabel, what are you doing?" He asked when he got behind her out in the crisp morning air.

"Training for the boxing tryouts." Mabel said as she worked, punching a tree so hard a branch fell off.

Dipper smiled proudly and said, "I wanna help."

And so history repeated itself as Dipper hurried to the library after breakfast and found books on proper diet techniques and he looked up video-tutorials on great workout routines. He rode his bike besides Mabel and used her megaphone to cheer her on as she jogged down the dirt road. He wore a full on pillow-bodysuit so Mabel could punch something that moves and tries to punch back. Dipper even made her protein shakes with raw eggs and other stuff to help her keep her energy and he poured her Mabel Juice down the drain, earning him a raspberry courtesy of his twin. The kids were careful to keep it a secret, Mabel insisting she wanted to surprise Stan and Ford by coming back with a real boxing uniform and a declaration that she made the team. Dipper supported her one million percent and on the day of the tryouts, they hopped on a bus for the gym.

Dipper walked with Mabel in her workout-gear, hands in his vest and a proud smile on his face. They walked into the correct room, the one with a big ring and some bleachers, and found Mr. Poolcheck's cousin, Mr. Boxcoach. The cousins had the same tight-face, sharp jawline, and popping vein, and they were both equally scary, but Mr. Boxcoach's legs weren't skinny and perfect for swimming, rather bulky and perfect for boxing, and he had oily brown hair. He wore a blue-jacket over a white t-shirt and he had a whistle around his neck and a clipboard in hand.

Boys from neighboring towns were there to try out, too, and more were approaching. Mabel and Dipper walked up to Mr. Boxcoach to properly introduce themselves and before any of them said a word, the scary man asked with his eyes down at his clipboard, "What's your name, son?"

"Oh, no," Dipper shook his head and patted Mabel's shoulder. "I'm not here to try out, but my sister is."

"Hi! I'm Mabel." She said cheerfully, almost bouncing where she stood with excitement.

Mr. Boxcoach finally looked at them and snorted. "Yeah, no. I'm not putting a girl on my team."

Mabel's smile dropped. Dipper saw the devastated look on her face and he had to try extremely hard not to lose his temper. "Why not?" He asked.

"Whaddya mean, why not, she's a girl." Mr. Boxcoach said like it was obvious and he tucked his clipboard under his arm. "I mean look at her, a butterfly clip in her hair and a bright-pink scrunchie. They'd eat her alive out there."

"So what if she takes good care of her hair and likes pink?" Dipper snapped. "Last I checked, that has nothing to do with how good she is. She's really tough, just let her try, she's got a great left-hook!"

"Listen, kids, it's anarchy out there…"

"She can handle it!"

"... there is no way I'm letting a girl on my team." Mr. Boxcoach said firmly. "I wouldn't be caught dead with a girl in my boxing ring."

Dipper narrowed his eyes, seeing red, his whole body shaking with rage. "You won't even let her try out?"

"Nope."

Dipper was ready to yell and make Mr. Boxcoach rue the day he underestimated Mabel Pines, but one glance at her told Dipper that she looked ready to go home, so he put an arm around her shoulders and walked her out the door. "Forget that jerk. Wanna stop by that new candy store in town? I think they have a new safer Smile-Dip." He offered softly.

Mabel shook her head and pulled her hair down, her scrunchie on her wrist. "I'd rather just go home."

"Okay, sure." Dipper tried to smile comfortingly at her, but she wouldn't meet his eyes and Dipper could tell that she didn't need smiles right now.

* * *

Waddles was asleep under the card table while Ford and Stan played poker on the table. Ford slammed his cards down as his brother laughed maliciously and scooted the loot to his side of the table. "You cheated!"

"Probably, wanna try to prove it, Wise Guy?" Stan dared.

"Oh, you little…"

The door opened and closed and the old men smiled to see the kids return, but they were unhinged to find Mabel in unusual attire and hurrying up the stairs with tears in her eyes. The bedroom door slammed shut and Waddles woke up and trotted up the stairs.

"What's wrong with Mabel?" Stan asked.

Dipper sighed and collapsed in the armchair. "Mabel wants to be on the boxing team."

Ford and Stan exchanged proud and surprised looks, but they also remembered that their little girl was upset right now. "Did she not make the team?" Ford guessed sympathetically.

"She didn't even get to try out."

"Why not?" Stan pressed on when Dipper fell silent and didn't look in a hurry to tell more of the story.

He gave them both a careful look, like he was debating if it was worth telling them, but he eventually said, "Coach says he wouldn't be caught dead with a girl in his ring."

"WHAT?!" Stan stood up quickly and looked just as mad as he did back when he discovered that Mable and Gideon were dating last summer. "And you were okay with that?!"

"Stanley," Ford scolded lightly, not enjoying the fact that he was assuming Dipper didn't do anything about it.

"No! I tried, but there was no changing his mind." Dipper defended and crossed his arms over his chest.

Stan marched across the room. Ford stood up and asked, "Where are you going?"

"To be mad at somebody new!"

"Uh, oh." Dipper said as Stan angry beyond reason.

When Mabel heard Waddles scratching at the door, she forced herself out of bed to let him in. He hopped up on the foot of the bed and let Mabel lie her head on him and cry on his soft pink body. She hugged him and cried her heart out, disappointed and feeling stupid for thinking she even had a shot at boxing like her hero.

A soft knock came at the door and Mabel looked up to find Stan at the door. She quickly wiped her tears away and her face dry; she didn't want him to see her cry and think she wasn't tough anymore. "Hey, everything okay, pumpkin?"

Mabel smiled weakly and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay…"

"C'mon, Mabel, you can't lie to an old conman." Stan said and sat by the head of her bed. "Plus Dipper told me what happened." He added, unable to take all the credit on him just being that awesome and smart.

Mabel's eyes filled with tears and she shut her eyes to try to hide it. Stan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rubbed. "Snitch." Mabel mumbled, making Stan snort. "I wanted to surprise you, make you proud."

"Whoa, hey," Stan halted. "First off, I'll always be proud of you. Always. You're my little fight, whether you're on some stupid team or not. That's sweet that you wanted to surprise me and rub it in my face that you're way better at boxing than me, but you don't have to hide anything from me."

Mabel hiccuped a laugh over his little joke and she wiped her tears on her arm, feeling much better. "Thanks, Grunkle Stan."

"No problem, sweetie." He looked her dead in the eye and asked, "Do you really wanna box?"

Mabel wasn't sure if he was asking because he wanted to make sure she didn't want to box only to make him proud, or he was about to do something stupid. Either way, she wanted to be honest. She nodded and gave that Pines-gleam in her eye, the one that promised trouble and was fed off of determination, pride, and hard-work. "Yeah, I do. But the coach…"

"I don't care, get your gloves and let's go." Stan motioned a hand for her to follow and she did as she was told, following her great-uncle out of the room and eventually out of the house.

* * *

Luckily the tryouts were only half done when Stan had Mabel's hand and was walking her back inside the room. Her soft brown eyes found the scary Mr. Boxcoach and her hand tightened around Stan's. "That's him."

"I got this." Stan muttered back. "OY! Veins! You and I need to talk!"

Mr. Boxcoach had to whistle a match to stop and he turned to the new arrivals that stood outside his ring. Stan climbed up swiftly and had his hands on his hips, a suave, strong man in a suit looking deadly with cold brown eyes and tight fists just right for throwing a good punch. The atmosphere got ten degrees colder as Mr. Boxcoach realized he had talked badly about Stanley Pines's girl. "Yes, sir?" He asked casually.

"You tell my grandniece she can't box?!"

"Oh, well I was only looking after her…"

"Well she doesn't need you to look after her! She can look after herself and do a better job at it than most grown-ups!" Mabel, meanwhile, was turning pink with pride. "And you're gonna give her the same chance you would give any other boy!"

"Or what?" Mr. Boxcoach snarled.

"Or we're gonna have problems." Stan growled and even Mabel felt a shiver go down her spine. Despite being the same size, Mr. Boxcoach looked significantly smaller than Stan.

Mr. Boxcoach swallowed and then huffed, "Fine. Kid, you're next. You'll go against Drake."

"What?!" The pale sandy-haired kid with freckles yelled. He was one of the two already in the ring. "I'm _not_ boxing with a girl!"

"Why not, your friend is." Mabel snapped.

Stan swelled with pride and the other boy, a dark-skinned boy with brown curls, "oh"ed with a smile and said he'd fight her. Stan patted her back and said, "I'll be in the bleachers. Kick their butts."

* * *

Ford and Dipper were watching the Used To Be About History Channel when Stan and Mabel came back home with huge smiles on their faces. "Guess who'll be in boxing matches this summer?"

"Mabel, that's wonderful!" Ford cheered and gave her a hug when she hopped up on his lap in the armchair. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you."

"Me, too." And Dipper ruffled her hair from the dino-skull end table. "I knew you'd make the team!"

" _And_ I got a date!" Mabel added joyfully and punched the air in victory.

"You did?" Ford asked, bewildered how boxing could lead to romance. He looked at his brother for clarification. "She did?"

"It was a productive afternoon." Stan simply said as he hung his suit jacket up.

* * *

Mabel climbed up into the ring, her hair up in her pink scrunchie and her little butterfly pinning back her hair so she could see her opponent. She wore red and the enemy wore yellow, like gold without the sparkle. She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, taking her stance. The big, nasty boy with crooked teeth snarled at her, ready to take her apart, free to dominate and humiliate a girl, but that wasn't going to happen.

Just before the bell rang, Mabel glanced over to the bleachers and saw her boys screaming and cheering her on. They had painted their faces red with a white stripe down the center and Stan wore his red Hawaiian shirt, Ford his turtleneck solo, and Dipper held a sign that read "GO MABEL GO!" in big red letters with stars all over it and tons of glitter. He cleared his throat mid-shout and coughed up glitter, proof that he had made the sign himself.

Mabel grinned and focused on the scummy teenager in front of her. The bell rang.


End file.
